Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi: Boomer's Story
Appendix I: PROJECT: BUNNY
One year before PROJECT: ROWDY was conceived, Dr. John Brisbaine approved a project called PROJECT: BUNNY. The Project was conducted in a secret facility on a secluded island near Fiji, constructed by the Darkstar Council under the guise of the United States government. For months, a stabilized clone of the Powerpuff once called Bunny was produced, but one week before the cloning sequence was fully complete, the facility was mysteriously destroyed, leaving no survivors or trace of Bunny.
In the grand scheme of things, this story has absolutely nothing to do with the story of Boomer. His story is finished. But the story of Bunny is critical in the tale of another… someone you all may already be familiar with…
But more on that later.
Some of your questions will be answered, while other loose threads will still dangle in the front of your mind. But in events to come, all questions will be answered.
Now let's look into that day…
Where… am I? thought Bunny, as she opened her eyes.
She was unable to move, as she was inside an narrow glass tube, completely immersed in water. On her face was a mechanical breathing apparatus attached to a tube. Through the tube, she could make out two men in lab coats, sitting at computers near the tube. She couldn't get a good look at their face, because of the thick glass and water in her eyes.
Bunny tried to remember how she had gotten there, but she could not. She strained herself to try to remember anything, but she could not. It was like her mind was a hard drive that had been wiped clean. The only thing she could recall was her own name, but beyond that nothing.
What… what's going on? thought Bunny, frightened at her lack of memory. She didn't know anything about where she was, but far more frightening was that she didn't know anything about who she was. She didn't know how she acted, how she thought, or about anything that she had ever done before waking up now, as if she was only born just now. However, she knew that idea was absurd.
Somehow, she had knowledge of the English language, math, geography, and basically what every child learns in school by the time they turn ten, but she could not recall when or how she learned all this.
She was so confused and frightened she felt like she was on the verge of crying. Even when she closed her eyes and focused as hard as she could, she could remember absolutely nothing about what had happened before now.
Who am I? What am I? thought Bunny, terrified.
"She's awake," said Dr. Atoms, looking at the girl through the glass tube. Atoms twiddled his thumbs nervously, sweat soaking his short brown hair. He looked over to his long-haired, skinny associate, Dr. McCracken, who was sitting in a leather chair at a large control panel, not paying much attention to Atoms.
"Relax, Max," said Dr. McCracken without looking up from the control panel. "It's nothing out of the ordinary. Her memories haven't been fully developed yet, so it's not like she's gonna try anything. Brisbaine said it would seem all like a dream to her." He typed some commands onto the keyboard portion of the panel, then looked up at Atoms. "Honestly, Max, what is with you today? You're acting like a nutter."
Dr. Atoms paced back and forth on the metal floor, occasionally glancing back at the girl's naked form in the tube. The machinery around the tube designed to monitor her condition obstructed the more sensitive areas of her physical structure from view, but Atom could clearly see her face. Her purple eyes were half open, and she looked like she was barely awake. Atoms also thought she looked very sad.
"I don't know," said Atoms, putting his hand to his head. "I just have a bad feeling about this… I guess I might be a little on edge cause I had a bad nightmare last night."
"Was it the one with the giant spider again?" asked McCracken.
"No, not that one," said Atoms, continuing to walk back and forth. "I don't really remember all of it, but I woke up in a cold sweat. I think I was set on fire or something… something about fire."
"Maybe you wanna set this place on fire?" said McCracken. "I mean, we've all had days here like that."
"Not funny, Craig."
McCracken finished typing in some commands. On the screen of the panel, a video of an older scientist with small glasses came into view.
"Good morning, Dr. McCracken," said the scientist.
"Morning, Brisbaine," said McCracken. "Just calling to report that basic knowledge has been coded into her brain, so that she'll know as much as the average ten-year-old. Everything has been going smoothly after we were able to stabilize her genetic structure so her physical and mental abilities would not be abnormal."
Brisbaine smirked on the screen.
"Very good," he said.
"All that's left is to code her memories in and we'll be done."
"Good work, McCracken. The Secretary of Defense will be pleased at this development. Keep up the good work."
"Roger that, Brisbaine," said McCracken. "Over and out."
McCracken pushed a button that removed Brisbaine from screen. After the transmission concluded, McCracken relaxed in the chair and looked back at Atoms, who was still looking at the girl.
"Come on, Max," said McCracken. "Stop worrying about it. Nothing is gonna happen. Just take a load off and relax till lunch. We're ahead of schedule. We haven't got jack to do."
Atoms glanced over at McCracken, uneasy.
"I told you," said McCracken, reassuringly. "Nothing bad is gonna happen."
At the main entrance of the facility, the security officer, Dave, sat in his chair inside the security office, preparing to play his Gameslave 2. His bearded face, green eyes, and dark brown hair reflected off the screen before he activated the game. Dave looked over to his right, out the sliding glass window of the security office. He looked at the tall, steel doors that sealed the main entrance.
Dave's official job was to guard the main gate, but since all of the scientist and personnel lived inside this massive facility, the majority of Dave's time on the clock entailed doing absolutely nothing. Dave felt the long periods of doing nothing were tedious, but Dave was able to pass the time reading, playing games, watching TV, which was enough to keep him satisfied most of the time. Dave had living and working in the facility for two months, and felt he was paid extremely well for a job required no effort whatsoever. In one week, the mysterious project the scientists here were doing would be finished and Dave would return to the United States with the money he had earned, allowing him to live pretty well for a while.
Dave played his Gameslave 2, but just as he was about to face the Zombie Hog on "Vampire Piggy Hunter," the screen started to flicker into static. Dave raised an eyebrow and shook it.
I could have sworn I just recharged the battery on this stupid thing, thought Dave. He shook it and finally the static subsided. Instead, the screen suddenly turned completely crimson red and two glowing green eyes appeared on it. Dave didn't remember anything like this on the game, so he tried to turn it off. However, the screen stayed the same.
What in the…
"Excuse me."
Dave was so startled by the unexpected, bizarre voice he almost fell out of his chair. He looked out the security window and saw a man standing outside, grinning at Dave. He wore dark sunglasses and a black suit, like a government agent or a business man. He had jet black hair and a goatee. The only other piece of color he had on his body was a tie that was blood red. Dave slid back the glass of the security window. As he did, he glanced back at the Gameslave's screen and saw that the strange image was no longer there.
"Can I…help you?" said Dave, uneasy.
The man, still smiling, replied once again in the most bizarre voice Dave had ever heard. It was an extremely effeminate voice, but it sounded as if it was two voices speaking at exactly the same time, as if there was a strange echo in the room. For some reason, the voice sent shivers down Dave's spine.
"Yes, you can," said the man, grinning. "I am looking for something. Something very precious… but also very 'hush hush,' if you catch my drift. Might you know where I can find things of that sort?"
Dave raised an eyebrow at the man.
"I'm… sorry, sir, but I wasn't notified we would have a visitor today and… who are you, exactly?"
"I'm just a… businessman, of sorts," said the man. "Any other information beyond that is not yours to know."
"Um… how did you get in here?" asked Dave, growing increasingly suspicious of the Businessman's attitude, his strange voice, and his bizarre, effeminate personality, which seemed to be contradictory to what Dave imagined any businessman to be like. "I didn't hear the steel doors open. And… is there an echo in here or something?"
The Businessman's grin did not falter.
"I hadn't noticed. And as for the doors, I can assure you there are… alternate entrances for those like myself."
Dave was starting to become crept out even more by this man and began to reach down under his chair, where he had taped his gun to the bottom of the seat.
For the first time since he'd been there, the Businessman's smile faded.
"I really don't have time to dilly dally so I'll ask you once again."
The Businessman's voice suddenly shifted from being effeminate to a more masculine, harsher voice, and the odd echo seemed to suddenly disappear; however, the voice still seemed to have an otherworldly strangeness about it, although it was now much more terrifying.
"Now, where is it!" said the Businessman in his harsh voice. "Where is the child!"
Dave, now certain this man was up to no good, grabbed the gun under his seat and jerked it from chair. The duct tape that had held it made a tearing sound and fell to the floor. Dave brought the gun up and pointed at the Businessman, shaking with nervousness.
"Stay back!" yelled Dave, trying not to sound nervous. "Show your identification! Now!"
The Businessman looked at the gun and, surprisingly, started to giggle.
"How cute," said the Businessman in his effeminate voice. "You want to see the truth so bad…"
The Businessman's eyes began to glow emerald green, shining through the dark sunglasses. Dave was speechless and could have sworn those were the exact same eyes he had seen on the Gameslave. The Businessman raised his right hand up, and put his thumb to his ring finger.
"Here," said the Businessman, in his harsh voice. The Businessman snapped his fingers, and suddenly a stream of fire appeared out of thin air, heading straight for Dave. Before he could realize it, Dave's clothes and hair were aflame, the heat unbearable. He began to smell his own flesh being engulfed by the flame.
Through the fire, the last thing Dave saw was the Businessman, smiling. In his pain, he was able to see the Businessman for what he really was, for whatever sorcery the Businessman had used to conceal his true form no longer affected Dave's mind, now that it was faced with blinding pain. Dave clearly saw from his crimson red skin and his lobster-like claws that he was clearly not of this world.
The Businessman, who Dave now saw was not a man, took one last look at Dave, smiled, and walked away as the blaze charred his body.
"INTRUDER ALERT!" shouted the prerecorded voice of a young lady over the intercom. "INTRUDER ALERT! SECURITY OFFICER DOWN! FIRE DETECTED IN SECTOR A-1! ALL SECURITY PERSONNEL ON CODE RED ALERT!"
"What the hell is that?" said Dr. Atoms, sweating bullets.
McCracken went from a relaxed position to bolt upright in his seat immediately. The same message continued to play over the intercom. Beyond the lab, he could hear the sounds of dozens of feet clattering against the hall floor.
"We should leave," said McCracken, suddenly becoming uncharacteristically fearful.
"How?" said Atoms, his eyes becoming bloodshot from nerves. "The only way out around here is in Sector A-1!"
Over the intercom, a new message had begun to play.
"ALL SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL ARE ADVISED NOT TO ENTER THE HALLWAYS! DO NOT PANIC!"
"Oh dear God," said Atoms, certain this was no less than a terrorist attack.
Beyond the lab, more footsteps could be heard. Much to the scientists' shock, the footsteps were followed by loud bangs of guns begin fired. A flurry of gunshots rang out and ceased after almost a full minute. Then, there was silence.
McCracken began to feel some relief.
"See? They got 'em," he said. "Nothing to worry abou-"
BOOM! The ground of the lab shook violently, rattling the chairs and panel around. The explosion was followed by the sound of numerous, bloodcurdling screams. The screams lasted for more than two minutes, escalating an agony. Atoms and McCracken could only stand silently and horror.
Slowly, the screams grew quieter and quieter, until there were no screams at all. Only the loud crackle of fire from the hallway beyond the lab.
"Dear God," muttered McCracken.
Over the crackle, McCracken could make out footsteps, one after another; however this time it was only from one set of feet. The footsteps crept closer and closer, maintaining the same rhythm. McCracken couldn't help but think of it as the calm before the storm.
The footsteps clattered closer and closer. Neither Atoms nor McCracken dared to utter a word. The footsteps crept closer still.
Then, they suddenly stopped.
Atoms and McCracken stared at the steel door separating the lab from the hallway beyond it. Their heartbeats raced faster, sweat dripped down their bodies, and their throats were welled up by pure terror.
Once again, there was silence; the calm before the hurricane.
The steel door, without warning, began to creek open slowly. Atoms and McCracken remained frozen in terror. As the door opened, smoke bellowed out from the hallway into the lab. As the door opened more, they could see the massive fire in the background. A man in a business suit, with a crimson red tie and sunglasses, stepped into the room. There was not a scratch or burn on him or his clothing. He had a huge grin on his face as he stepped into the lab.
"Good morning, gentleman," said the Businessman. "I'll be taking the child now."
In the tube, Bunny was still not sure what was going on, but she saw clearly that the two men in lab coats were terrified. Considering fear was all that defined her, considering her memory blank, she felt sympathy for them. Even though she knew nothing about them, the feeling of fear that she shared with them was enough for her to hope that they would be alright.
She looked at the Businessman, the source from which their fear flowed. Bunny was immediately unsettled by this man. Bunny could not explain it, but she got an odd feeling from looking at the man; a chill that seemed to go through her whole body. It was as if the shear prescience of this man was enough to inspire fear.
The Businessman started to walk over to the men. Fearing this horrific man would do something terrible to the doctors, she shut her eyes, in a childlike hope that the next time she opened her eyes, the monsters would go away.
"I have run out of patience," said the Businessman, lifting Atoms by the throat. Atoms struggled to break away, but his grip was like a vice. The Businessman's voice turned harsher. "Now tell me the codes to release the child! She will be wasted in the hands of those Darkstar dimwits! Tell me the codes!"
Atoms did not say a word. Although he had no idea what "Darkstar" was, but he refused to do anything this villain said.
McCracken, panicking, charged at the Businessman as he held Atoms in one hand. The Businessman saw McCracken charge at him and lifted his hand. As McCracken charged at him, he smacked his face with the back of his hand, submitting McCracken to the ground.
Seeing the weaker prey, the Businessman threw Atoms aside, causing his head to collide with the steel wall. He slide too a sitting position against the wall, unconscious. Some blood began to trickle from the back of his head down to the floor.
The Businessman loomed over McCracken.
"Tell me the codes!" said the Businessman.
McCracken, breathing heavily, tried to speak, but only managed to shake his head.
The Businessman glared for a moment, before he seemed to relax.
"Fine, if that's how you want to play," said the Businessman. He put his hand to McCracken's head. Behind the shades of his glasses, McCracken could see his eyes glow green. "Then let's play!"
McCracken closed his eyes, certain this man would blow him up. However, when McCracken closed his eyes, he still continued to see. Before his eyes, he began to see the most bizarre, horrifying things ever witnessed by man. He saw abominations whose sight has driven men to madness. He saw humans be tortured in nightmarish ways by the creatures that seemed to defy every law of nature. McCracken heard the screams as they begged for death to end their suffering. McCracken couldn't do anything to stop the vision, since his eyes were already closed. McCracken would have done anything to make the visions stop.
Suddenly, the vision stopped and McCracken's eyes popped open. The Businessman looked over him, smiling.
"Tell me the codes, or I won't just make you see more," said the Businessman. "I'll send you there."
Forcing down the vomit rising in his throat, McCracken immediately spoke up.
"The codeword is SUGARBITS," said McCracken.
The Businessman's grin widened.
"There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" he said. He walked over to the panel and inputted the code. The tube began to open up.
Bunny still kept her eyes closed.
"Now, as for this place," said the Businessman, as he inputted more commands into the panel. "Let's take care of it, shall we?"
The Businessman stopped typing and suddenly a new message played on the intercom.
"SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED! T-20 SECONDS! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
The Businessman walked from the panel over to the tube, which was almost completely opened. He walked past McCracken, who appeared almost catatonic. The visions had driven him near the point of madness.
The tube completely opened up, and Bunny fell forward onto the steel floor, naked and afraid. The Businessman looked over her.
"So, the first piece comes into place," said the Businessman.
"T-15 SECONDS! ALL STILL INSIDE ARE ADVISED TO COWER IN FEAR!" said the prerecorded message over the intercom.
The Businessman looked down at Bunny, who still kept her eyes closed. His eyes began to glow green.
"T-10 SECONDS! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE! MAKE YOUR TIME! 9…"
The Businessman raised his hand, and put his thumb to his ring finger.
"8…7…6…"
SNAP!
Bunny heard the countdown disappear. She still refused to open her eyes, because she knew the Businessman would still be there. She still felt a chill through her body. She was determined not to open her eyes for as long as she could.
However, this plan was shattered when she was startled by a loud "BOOM!" Involuntarily, her eyes popped open and she looked around. She was in a wooded area, and through the trees, she could see a large explosion off in the distance, bellowing fire to sky.
Before she could realize her mistake, she heard his voice behind her.
"Be thankful you weren't in there," said the Businessman, sitting on a hickory stump behind Bunny.
Bunny looked at the explosion, and began to feel sad.
Those men… they're dead, she realized. Even though she knew nothing about them, she felt sadness knowing they were gone.
The Businessman seemed to have guessed what she was thinking.
"Don't feel bad," he said. "Everyone there was working for bad men. I free"
Bunny obviously did not trust him. She turned around and gave him the hardest look she could while overwhelmed in fear.
"Oh, by the way," said the Businessman. "I took the liberty of clothing you."
Bunny had not noticed. She looked down and saw that she was now wearing a purple dress. She looked up at the strange man, who was staring at her, smiling.
"You don't talk much, do you?" said the Businessman.
Unfortunately for Bunny, she couldn't remember talking ever. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. After a minute, she spoke. Her voice was clear and pretty.
"How… how did we get out?" she said. For some reason she could not explain, she was surprised at the clarity of her own voice.
The Businessman smiled.
"I have many unique… skills."
Bunny shuffled away from the Businessman. She backed into a tree and slid her back down it into a sitting position.
"Why do you fear me?" said the Businessman, grinning.
Bunny did not answer for a moment.
"Wha…what are you going to do with me?" she asked.
The Businessman did not answer for a moment. After some deep thought, he spoke.
"Tell me," he said. "Where were you before you were in that tube?"
Bunny's eyes widened. Obviously, she could not answer. She tried once more to remember something. Anything. However, she could not.
"You don't know, do you?" said the Businessman, getting from the stump and walking towards her. "You don't remember anything. That is why you are afraid. You don't know about anything you've ever done. You don't know how you even acted before now." He circled the tree Bunny was sitting against. "You don't even know how you thought. Thrown into the world without any memories… no wonder you're afraid."
Bunny resisted the urge to cry, because somehow she knew the sight of it would only make this man's smile grow wider.
"It's really a shame," said the Businessman. "You don't even know about your previous… condition."
Bunny, naive to the ways of the world, took the bait immediately.
"Condition?" she asked, fighting back her tears. "You… you know something about me?"
The Businessman laughed in his bizarre voice.
"I know everything about you," said the Businessman. "That's why I'm here. I'm going to give you your memories."
Bunny looked up at the man, unsure what to believe.
The Businessman anticipated her unease. He walked in front of her.
"Don't believe me," said the Businessman, his eyes glowing green. He put his hand on her head, atop her long brown hair. "Have a taste."
Suddenly, the Businessman and the woods melted away before her eyes. She saw herself looking down at three girls. Each girl was clothed in a different color. One had blond pigtails and wore blue. Another had long, red hair and wore red. The last one had black hair and wore green. They looked up at her, smiling bright smiles. Bunny could not explain why, but the sight of them made her eyes grow hot, and despite her efforts, tears began to fall.
As quick as the vision had come, it melted away. She looked up at the Businessman, who was smiling.
"Who were they?" asked Bunny.
The Businessman held up his hand and shook his finger.
"Now now, that was just a taste," said the Businessman. "You get one free sample. Then you have to pay for the rest."
"Pay?" asked Bunny, prepared to do anything to know who they were.
"It's very simple, deary," he said. "All I need you to do is do one job for me, and they you get your memories back. Simple as that."
"Job? What job?"
"Once you agree, I will tell you."
Even though Bunny was naïve, she knew that doing that was a bad move.
"I can't agree to something like that," she said.
"Fine. Don't get your memories," he turned around and began walking away. "Nice knowing you. Don't be a stranger."
He walked several feet away before Bunny gave in, just as he had predicted.
"Wait!" she said. "I… I'll do it. Just let me have my memories."
The Businessman smirked. He was victorious.
"First the job, then you get your memories? Do we have a deal?"
"…yes. Yes, we have a deal," said Bunny.
The Businessman held out his hand.
"Let's shake to make it official," he said.
Bunny reached out her hand halfway, then stopped for a moment, having a sudden feeling of foreboding. She did not trust this man one bit, but she had no choice. She reached out and shook his hand. The Businessman held his grip firm.
As they shook, the world around her seemed to grow dark. She looked down and saw a large shadow appear from nowhere. The shadow grew larger and darker. Suddenly, the shadow, much to Bunny's terror, began to crawl up her. The darkness began to engulf her whole body.
"What's happening!" she yelled.
The Businessman smiled.
"I said I had a job for you… I didn't say when I'd give it to you. I'm just going to… preserve you."
The shadow crawled up her waist.
"Please, help me!" she yelled.
"Don't worry," he said. "You'll be out before you know it."
The shadow engulfed her arms and came up to her neck.
"Until next time…" he said.
The shadow finally crept over her eyes, and much to her horror, she fell into the darkness.
And thus began the first step in Him's sinister plan.
Author's Note: I hope you've enjoyed this. Next Appendix, the final chapter. A preview of my next fanfiction set in the Bleedverse. I'll be very, very short, and it may not be what you expect, but it will tie into this in a big way.
So, until then, see you later, space cowboy.